Pakistan Peoples Party leader Bismillah Khan Kakar has said that markets will be established in Balochistan for boosting trade with Iran.

Talking to a private news channel, he said that Pakistan and Iran have sufficient trade opportunities and both nations look to enhance bilateral trade and employment opportunities. He said that presently Pakistan is exporting fruits and vegetables to Iran from Quetta.

He said that the Iranian Ambassador has arranged a meeting of traders in Quetta and promised that traders will be provided all facilities.

Kakar said that Iran has supplied 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Pakistan so far and has agreed to further supply a futher 1,000MW, the Express Tribune reported.

A Pakistani delegation is likely to visit Iran to finalize the proposed barter trade deal between the two countries, an official told Business Recorder. The delegation will comprise of federal Minister for National Food Security and Research (NFS&R) Israrullah Khan Zehri, former minister MFS&R Nazar Muhmmad Gondal and former secretary MFS&R Shafqat Hussain Nagmi,

Managing Director of Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) Major-General Sohail Shafkat and senior officials of Ministries of Production, Commerce and Industries would also take part in the negotiations.

Managing Director of Passco, Major General Sohail Shafkat, said that although a team was to visit Iran, the MFS&R had not yet informed him officially if he will be part of the delegation. He said that there were unconfirmed reports that Iran had bought wheat from another country.

The official said that Pakistan had offered a million tons of wheat to Iran in return for fertiliser and iron ore. Iran earlier expressed unwillingness to accept Pakistani wheat, complaining it contained karnal bunt or Tilletia Indica in April this year. He said that during the last visit, the Pakistani delegation also provided wheat samples to Iranian authorities. However, Iranian authorities demanded the supply of disease-free grain, he said. The official said that Pakistan had also invited Iranian agriculture experts to inspect Pakistani laboratories to check for karnal bunt and/or Tilletia Indica in wheat samples.

He said that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (NFS&R) has sent a letter to Plant Protection Department of Iran in this regard.

The proposed arrangement was first discussed in February this year when President Asif Ali Zardari and Iranian President Mehmoud Ahmadinejad held a meeting in Islamabad. Both the leaders resolved to raise Pakistan-Iran bilateral trade to $ 10 billion.